David Pastrnak believes Leon Draisaitl should win Hart Trophy

David Pastrnak is a candidate for the Hart Trophy this year, but he has put his support behind Leon Draisaitl.

The race for the Hart Trophy is a highly contested one this year, with the vote sure to be close. Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak is a strong candidate, as he tied for the league lead in goals during the regular season (48) for a Bruins’ team that registered a league-best 100 points.

But Pastrnak is putting his support behind another top candidate for the Hart, Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl.

“For me, it’s absolutely no question,” Pastrnak said. “It’s going to be, and it should be, Leon Draisaitl. The way he played this season, it’s absolutely no question for me.”

Draisaitl led the league with a career-high 110 points (43 goals, 67 points) this season. Dismissing him as a benefactor of playing alongside Connor McDavid is short-sighted, as he had a had on 49.3 percent of Edmonton’s offense (223 goals) during the regular season. He was also productive without McDavid, registering 12 points in the seven games his star teammate missed.

It’s been a virtual roundtable of public backing for Hart Trophy candidates. Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog said teammate Nathan MacKinnon (93 points; fifth in the league) should be the MVP. MacKinnon has said New York Rangers forward Artemi Panarin (95 points, tied for third in the league with Pasternak) should win the award. Now Pastrnak has backed Draisaitl.

The Oilers finished the regular season second in the Pacific Division with 83 points. They are slated to be the fifth seed in the Western Conference playoffs, with a first-round matchup coming against the No. 12 seed Chicago Blackhawks. So the Oilers have done well enough to push Hart votes toward Draisaitl. He and McDavid finished 1-2 in the league in scoring. That has happened with teammates just 12 times in NHL history now, with seven different sets of teammates pulling it off. Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito did it five times, and Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri did it twice.

It’s unclear when the NHL will hand out regular season awards, but voters had until Monday evening to submit final ballots.